West Seattle Bike Connections

[Al]

We would like to introduce a new bicycle group for the West Seattle area and environs: West Seattle Bike Connections (WSBC)! We would like to engage those in the area who are interested in cycling, making improvements in the cycling infrastructure and providing a cohesive response/input to decisions that could effect cycling in the West Seattle area.

We have some upcoming meetings which will be posted here soon. Feel free to comment (play by WSB rules, no bashing of anyone or anyone’s mode of travel choice) if you can’t join. If you feel ok leaving your email here we will add you to the email list. Otherwise we will have more contact info for you shortly. We hope to meet more cyclists in the area and are looking forward to working with you!

Mission Statement:

Provide advocacy and assistance for those traveling by bicycle to, from, and around West Seattle

Goal Statement:

Make cycling a safer, efficient and attractive option for travel to downtown and for destinations in and beyond West Seattle neighborhoods, for riders of all ages and abilities.

Help connect West Seattleites to school, work, transit, shopping areas, friends/family and recreation by bicycle.

Give West Seattle a strong voice in the 2012-13 Seattle Bike Master Plan update.

Engage the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), the Washington State Department of Transportation (WADOT), King County Metro, the Port of Seattle and other groups (governmental, private and non-profit) interested in providing alternatives to driving; emphasize positive impact of cycling on freight mobility and highlight the usefulness of convenient bike+bus/bike+rail travel options for all modes of travel.

Share This

[sbre]

Count me in, I’ll watch for contact info.

Thanks Al.

Share This

[Al]

Our Facebook page has been launched: http://www.facebook.com/WestSeattleBikeConnections

We will be doing an outreach at the lower bridge Thurs, Oct 25 from 6:45 – 9:45 AM.

The next scheduled meetings are:

Saturday, October 27, 8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

C&P Coffee, California Ave

Meet to plan our participation in the SDOT BMP public meetings scheduled for Nov 7,8.&9. Other group general planning with likely also take place.

November 7, 8, & 13, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m,

SDOT Seattle Bike Master Plan Public Meetings

http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/bikemaster.htm

Meetings to attend under consideration currently since there are multiple dates and locations.

We will be forming a Google group as well for easier contact/info sharing. Once that’s done we will post it here.

Share This

[alkistu]

It is very important to hear from everyone who uses a bicycle in West Seattle. This group will provide a unified voice to SDOT. Please join in. Let us know your “hot spots”, in your neighborhoods or on your way to other parts of town.

Share This

[Don_Brubeck]

THANK YOU STU and West Seattle Spokespeople! Allies in this effort to give West Seattle a voice in the bike master plan update. And we really value what Spokespeople are doing to make riding in our neighborhoods safer, easier and enjoyable.

I met “Al” on my ride home from work today. We talked (can’t do that in a car commute!) about putting together a “top 10” or “top 20” list of hot spots and desired improvements to present to SDOT that we hear about through this forum and the facebook page and in meetings and events.

A number of people have listed theirs already on the facebook page. If you have thoughts to share, please do!

Share This

[amalia]

I’m in ! Thanks for being a leader on this!

Share This

[Al]

Bikewise is a good site to document problem areas. http://www.bikewise.org/ It also links the request to the appropriate agency. However, sometimes there is no appropriate agency for the route along the waterfront/E. Marginal. For biking contacts you can also specifically email walkandbike@seattle.gov with questions, comments and specifics about problem (or good!) locations.

Share This

[Al]

As a cyclist, what are the most problematic points for you in/around West Seattle? Let’s get a list going so we can put together a “top 10” or “top 20” list of hot spots and desired improvements to present to SDOT.

Share This

[sunset]

The improvements I most desire are for secure parking places.

Share This

[Smythe]

Fauntleroy between 35th and where it joins Alaska is generally a pretty awful place for cyclists. People drive that stretch like they think they’re still on the bridge, and that the bridge is the interstate. Also the stretch of California between the Alaska and morgan junctions needs a bike lane or something. Now that I think about it might as well be all of California. Cars like to “buzz” cyclists on that street.

Share This

[DBP]

Something loosely related to the topic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuBdf9jYj7o

Share This

[Al]

Great notes! I will add these to our list.

DBP – very good link. I am afraid that here in the US, in spite of the huge number of traffic fatalities (not even including those injured) each year, the cost of driving (to both individuals and basic infrastructure), and the increasing interest in alternatives, we are not even close to where the Dutch were when their system was built.

Maybe it’s the US mind-frame (the individual before the collective good?), maybe it’s the lack of interest, the way cyclists and bus riders and even pedestrians are marginalized by both drivers (get them out of my way, it’s “my” road!) and the city (planning for cars first, then add in ped/cyclist infrastructure rather than planning for all modes of travel at one time – this has been very evident in the waterfront restructure planning from the start). I wish it was as easy as cyclists and pedestrians staging protests, but I fear unless gas becomes unafforable – and no president as far as I can see, or gas companies for that matter, will let that happen in the near future…only a crisis would lead to a Dutch system here on that scale.

Since we aren’t there yet, and often cyclists are fighting for a place on multiple levels we can keep our eye on that model and work towards it, piece by piece.

Share This

[datamuse]

That Fauntleroy/Alaska intersection that Smythe noticed is definitely one of my tops as well. Coming up Fauntleroy from the southwest to turn left on Alaska is incredibly hairy and I usually turn right and U-turn to go straight through on Alaska instead because the way the bike lane is configured, I’m concerned about accidentally cutting someone off and getting pasted.

I mentioned this on the FB group too, but following the bike path eastbound along Spokane, where it intersects with Alaskan Way is very confusing. The path just sorta ends, and across the street there’s a bike lane, but there’s no obvious way to get there, and half the time there’s a bunch of semis parked there anyway. I usually end up turning left on the sidewalk and crossing at the next traffic light.

Share This

[Don_Brubeck]

@Sunset: Yes, the bike is no good if you can’t park it when you get where you are going, and have it still be there when it’s time to leave. We’ve wondered about having bike racks and lockers around some of the suddenly very-far-apart bus stops. Some folks who now live too far to walk to the #21 or the new C-line could bike ride-park-n-bus ride. We could ask for this in the bike master plan update.

Another thing you can do right now is ask businesses that you travel to by bike to request a free sidewalk bike rack from SDOT. Bike Racks

http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/bikeparking.htm

Racks are installed at the request of citizens and business or property owners or managers. SDOT Bicycle Program staff are available to meet with interested businesses to explain the program, answer questions and select locations for racks. They install during the wet seasons when they can’t be paving or painting.

Thanks for bringing this up.

Share This

[Al]

Hi Don, do you know if SDOT re-activated the bike I parking installation program? It was halted last May due to budget reasons. If businesses wanted a rack they had to pay for it and, I think, get a permit. This is worth following up on. I will see what I can find out. I posted this on the WSBC FB page too.

Share This

[on board]

There are a number of great areas for consideration by this process. One that I hope will be addressed is the 5 way intersection down near the Chelan Cafe. I think it is where West Marginal, Chelan, and other streets converge. The pedestrian signals don’t work, and the weigh triggers in the road don’t work. There are so many cyclists that use this daily, I don’t know why they don’t fix this so that the signals are more reliable for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Share This

[Jeff H]

Great job taking the initiative and forming a local bicycling group here in West Seattle! I plan to attend the meetings and contribute any way I can. Most regular bike commuters know the problem areas, and I’m in agreement. Hopefully there will be a list at the meetings that we can prioritize.

Was anything ever done from the West Seattle Bikeability Tour back in July? I rode in this, and would be nice to follow-up.

https://westseattleblog.com/2012/07/west-seattle-bikeability-tour-40-riders-pedaled-then-discussed

Lots of ideas about where this could lead. 501c3 non-profit status? Take in donations that go back to the community for providing assistance in getting cycling infrastructure? Like helping to pay for a bike rack somewhere that the city doesn’t want to spend money on? Just thinking out loud. ;-)

Share This

[Al]

Jeff, we would welcome you to join our next meeting this Saturday at C&P Coffee, 8:30 am. We will most definitely be prioritizing and getting ready to respond to the BMP. We do have lots of tasks for people to work on so hopefully we can make sure those are taken care of.

Feel free to join the FB group as well – there’s lots of information there too.

And some of the WSBC will be at the lower bridge (west side) Thursday morning.

If you do want to participate you can either give your email here if you are comfortable with that or stop by the low bridge or the upcoming meeting. Let me know if you can’t do so and I’ll give you another option.

And I do have a copy of the final Bikeability Tour .pdf I can give you once I have your email address.

Thanks!

Share This

[Al]

Or I can just post the Bikeability link here: http://www.seattle.gov/sbab/documents/West_Seattle_Bikeability_Tour_Report_09102012.pdf

Share This

[Don_Brubeck]

Thursday morning 6:45 to 9:45 am 10/25

Stop by to meet, have a treat to fuel the rest of your ride, find out about the group and sign our banner!

at the approach to the lower West Seattle bridge where the Alki and Duwamish trails meet.

Share This

[sbre]

Wish you guys would start earlier, I cruise through there around 6:15 every morning heading to W. Marginal Way.

Share This

[Al]

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and said hello, got a treat, signed our banner and took a flyer – we’d love to hear from you.

Share This

[alkistu]

Jeff H. I appreciate your response on the subject of self help and funding through a 501c3. I wanted to point out that Sustainable West Seattle is a 501c3 non-profit and supports bicycle advocacy through West Seattle Spokespeople. At our next Spokespeople meeting Nov. 10th 6pm at Alki Bike and Board we will be discussing exactly the tactic of self support and shovel ready self action. The city budget will always be a thwart to progress if we rely solely on that source. There are a few projects that we as a bicycle community can address ourselves with SDOT permits and some financial support.

Share This

[Al]

Thanks to everyone who could come out to the meeting today. We have a lot of information to sift through and organize. We hope to get more information out about the upcoming Seattle Bike Master Plan (BMP) meeting shortly.

Share This

[Al]

Here are some helpful City of Seattle online forms. Pictures are often incredibly helpful to submit if the online forms allow the image upload.

* To contact the City to cut back vegetation that may be encroaching on the sidewalk/bike route this link is very helpful. Be aware that someone from the City could contact you personally for more information about location or follow up, so giving your real contact information could be helpful: http://web1.seattle.gov/dpd/complaintform/

* To report mis-timed or malfunctioning signals, or signals that won’t recognize a cyclist, potholes or damaged roadways, or sidewalk/path repairs, you can select the appropriate form from this City of Seattle site: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/potholereport.htm

* To contact the Seattle Police Department, if it’s not an emergency (like a problem area that has lots of speeding motorists or drivers blocking intersections), you can contact them via the “SPD Contact Form:” http://www.seattle.gov/police/contact/default.htm

* And just a reminder you can also report bike-specific crashes, hazards, and thefts at Bikewise.org. If you enter information here, it will get reported to the appropriate City agency, if an agency is identified for that area. If not, you may want to follow up with the City directly. http://www.bikewise.org/

* Finally, the City of Seattle has an informational web page with lots of links, good information and contacts for those interested in biking in Seattle: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/bikeprogram.htm

Share This

[Author]

Posts